After playing a pivotal role in Spain’s qualification for the World Cup, David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata were all on target in a 4-2 win at Valladolid on Sunday as Valencia joined Barcelona and Real Madrid on a maximum six points.
Cash-strapped Valencia managed to hold onto the trio in the summer and they tore Valladolid apart with four goals in less than an hour.
Silva opened the scoring with a 10th minute header from Mata cross before a mistake from Valencia goalkeeper Miguel Moya helped Valladolid equalize.
However, Spanish international Villa bagged a brace (34min, 55min) with Mata also on target. Valencia should have scored more with Villa hitting the bar and substitute Jordi Alba missing a sitter to score his first ever goal for the club.
Last season’s Kings Cup finalists Athletic Bilbao also have a perfect six points after beating 10-man Xerez 1-0 to move up to fourth.
Promoted Xerez have yet to collect their first point and sit second from bottom.
New Villarreal coach Ernesto Valverde is still waiting for his first win in charge after his side drew 1-1 at home to Real Mallorca. Italian international forward Giuseppe Rossi put Villarreal ahead on 54 minutes but Borja Valero equalized with a 75th minute free-kick.
It was the second successive game that Villarreal had scored first only to be pegged back and two 1-1 draws are not the start Valverde wanted.
Mallorca climb into fifth with four points from six.
Malaga drop down to sixth after a late 1-0 defeat at Deportivo La Coruna.
Brazilian left-back Filipe Luis scored the decisive goal nine minutes from time with a 25m scorcher.
In other matches, promoted Tenerife won their first game in the top flight for seven years with a 2-1 triumph over nine-man Osasuna.
Osasuna, another team expected to be in the relegation dogfight, pulled level at 1-1 but had to play close to half of the match with ten men after having Nacho Monreal sent off.
Ricardo Brito scored the Tenerife winner on 63 minutes and Osasuna had another player dismissed when Javad Nekanoum got a straight red for violent conduct.
Barcelona and Real lead the way at the top of the Spanish league with a maximum six points.
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